Attorney General Bird Joins FTC Lawsuit to Protect Children from Experimental Surgeries and Treatments

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today she has joined a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) for the unconscionable harm inflicted by their ongoing deceptive claims about the necessity, safety, and efficacy of pediatric medical transition drugs, surgeries, and other treatments on children and their parents.  

The FTC has received hundreds of alarming reports from pediatric patients of medical transition and their parents, as well as healthcare professionals. In particular, they have complained to the FTC about serious medical complications arising from medical transition services—and that the risks and side effects that they experienced were often not, or not adequately, disclosed to them. 

“WPATH recommends permanent, irreversible treatments and surgeries on children without solid medical science,” said Attorney General Brenna Bird. “Patients and their families have been deceived into believing the organization is an authoritative, medical body, when in truth, their recommendations are based on politics and ideology. Parents and children deserve better.” 

“Today, the FTC filed a lawsuit against WPATH alleging that the organization made false and unsubstantiated claims regarding the necessity, effectiveness and safety of puberty blockers, hormones and sex-change surgeries,” said FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. “Children, but especially their parents, must have complete and truthful information when making decisions to purchase medical services. For decades, the FTC has taken action against entities that make deceptive and unsubstantiated health-related claims. The complaint filed today reflects that same long-standing mandate: when an entity makes a claim about a medical treatment, the claim must be truthful, evidence-based and not misleading.” 

Attorney General Bird and the FTC seek to compel WPATH to only make recommendations for pediatric medical transition that are based on peer-reviewed, scientific and medical evidence. They are joined in this lawsuit by the attorneys general of Alaska, Nebraska, and Texas.  

Read the full complaint here.  

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For More Information:

Contact: Jen Green | jen.green@ag.iowa.gov